The Portal
by high-lady-feyre
Summary: I wrote this one for my friend Adyasha… totally random, but, this is an Alternative POV of a Crown of Midnight scene that this character was a part of. One of my favorite Throne of Glass Characters- Fleetfoot! Enjoy! ** containers HUGE spoilers for Crown of Midnight


I wrote this one for my friend Adyasha… totally random, but, this is an Alternative POV of a Crown of Midnight scene that this character was a part of. One of my favorite Throne of Glass Characters- Fleetfoot! Enjoy!

* * *

I was sleeping. Taking a nap, when it happened. And then I woke up.

I woke up because I smelled _her_. She was here, somewhere. I don't know how, or why she chose to suddenly come back, but it was _her_ and she was _here_.

Nehemia was inside the castle walls.

Following on smell only, I bounded into the hole in the wall, where Nehemia's scent was coming from. Celaena had gone into the hole, and she had not come out yet.

I heard her voice say something about cowards to Celaena, and sped up. I ran through the dark halls, and let out a yelp as I spotted Celaena in front of an archway- covered in something glowing and green.

I wagged my tail happily for my beloved friend and let out yips of joy, panting.

And then the smell of the green glowing substance hit me.

Blood.

I skidded to a halt.a

The archway was a void of blackness and darkness. And in that void… a shimmering figure standing just behind the portal.

Nehemia.

I lay on the ground, my tail still wagging, and whined softly. While her body was rippled and blurred, her face was clear. It was her face. Celaena started crying.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

It became clear that Nehemia was not coming to this side. I whined again. She looked at me.

"I may not cross this line. And neither may you," Nehemia told me gently. Then, to Celaena, "I thought you were smarter than this."

"I'm sorry," Celaena whispered. "I just wanted to-"

"There is no time for you to tell me what you long to say. I came here because you need to be warned. Do not open this portal again. The next time you do, I will not be the one who answers your call. And you will not survive the encounter. No one has the right to open the door to this realm, no matter how fierce their grief."

I pawed at the floor, and Nehemia's attention shifted to me once more. "Good-bye, my dear friend." She began walking into the blackness. No- no! She can't leave again! She just got here!

Celaena stood there, unable to speak.

"Elentiya." Nehemia paused to look back at her. The void seemed to be swirling, swallowing her up bit by bit. "You will not understand yet, but … I knew what my fate was to be, and I embraced it. I ran toward it. Because it was the only way for things to begin changing, for events to be set in motion. But no matter what I did, Elentiya, I want you to know that in the darkness of the past ten years, you were one of the bright lights for me. Do not let that light go out."

And before Celaena could reply, the princess was gone.

There was nothing in the dark. As though Nehemia had never been. As though I'd made it all up.

"Come back," she whispered. "Please—come back." But the darkness remained the same. And Nehemia was gone. My tail drooped to the ground

There was a scrape of footsteps—but not from the portal. Rather, it came from my left.

From Archer, who stood there gaping. "I don't believe it," he whispered.

Celaena had the golden sword drawn and leveled at him in a heartbeat. I growled menacingly at the human.

"What are you doing here?" Celaena said sharply.

"I've been tracking you for weeks," he said, eyeing me, smelling a little of fear. Good. He should be afraid. "Nehemia told me about the passages, showed me the way in. I've been down here almost every night since she died."

Celaena glanced back at the passages. She moved to the wall, trying to wipe away the glowing symbols.

"What are you doing?" Archer demanded. Celaena pointed the sword at him, trying to rub them away. What was she trying to do? "Stop!" He shouted as he lunged.

I barked ferociously, but Celaena whistled for me to stay away. She grasped his wrist, eyes widening as she glimpsed a strange tattoo. She shoved him back, drawing a knife and pointing both weapons at him.

"Tell me how you learned this," Archer whispered, his eyes going back to the portal and the darkness beyond. "Please. Did you find the Wyrdkeys? Is that how you did it?"

"What do you know of the Wyrdkeys?" she got out.

"Where are they? Where did you find them?"

"I don't have the keys."

"You found the riddle, though," Archer panted. "I let you find that riddle I hid in Davis's office. It took us five years to find that riddle—and you must have solved it. I knew you'd be the one to solve it. Nehemia knew, too."

Celaena was shaking her head. "The king has at least one key. But where the other two are, I don't know."

Archer's eyes darkened. "We suspected as much. That was why she came here in the first place. To learn whether he'd actually stolen them, and if so, how many."

"No. If we reveal the truth, then the king will use the keys to do more damage than you can possibly imagine. We'll lose any chance of stealth we have to find the others." He stepped closer, and I let out a warning growl. I kept my distance though, but if I had to, I'd attack.

She shook her head. "I would sooner destroy them than use their power."

Archer chuckled. "She said the same thing. She said they should be destroyed—put back in the gate, if we could discover a way. But what is the point of finding them if we don't use them against him? Make him suffer?"

She shook her head. "I would sooner destroy them than use their power."

Archer chuckled. "She said the same thing. She said they should be destroyed—put back in the gate, if we could discover a way. But what is the point of finding them if we don't use them against him? Make him suffer?"

"He should suffer for as long as possible. And so should the people who destroyed us—who made us into what we are: Arobynn, Clarisse …" She chewed on her lip. "Nehemia could never understand that. She never tried to. You—you're right. They should be used."

"That was why she left the movement. She left a week before she died. We knew it was a matter of time before she went to the king to expose us all—to use what she'd learned to grant clemency to Eyllwe, and to annihilate us with the same stroke. She said she'd rather have one all-powerful tyrant than a dozen of them."

Celaena said with deadly calm, "She would have ruined everything for you. She almost ruined everything for me, too. She told me to stay away from the Wyrdkeys. She tried to keep me from solving the riddle."

"Because she wanted to keep the knowledge to herself, for her own gain."

"You and I worked for everything we have—we … we had everything taken away and used against us, too. Other people can't even begin to fathom the things we were forced to do. I think—I think that's why I was so infatuated with you when I was a girl. I knew, even then, that you understood. That you knew what it was like to be raised by people like Arobynn and Clarisse and then … sold. You understood me then." I realized she was willing her eyes to gleam, acting when her mouth tightened as if she were keeping it from wobbling. Blinking furiously, she murmured, "But I think I finally understand you now, too."

She reached out a hand as if to grab his, but lowered it—making her face tender and soft and bittersweet. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have been working toward this for weeks. We could have tried to solve the riddle together. If I'd known what Nehemia was going to do, how she could lie to me again and again … She betrayed me. In every possible way, Archer. She lied to my face, made me believe …" Her shoulders slumped. After a long moment, she took a step toward him. "Nehemia was no better than Arobynn or Clarisse in the end. Archer, you should have told me. About everything. I knew it wasn't Mullison—he wasn't smart enough. If you'd told me, I could have taken care of it." A risk—a leap of faith. "For you … For us, I would have taken care of it."

But Archer gave her a hesitant smile. "She spent so much time complaining about Councilman Mullison that I knew he'd be the easiest one to blame. And thanks to that competition, he already had a connection to Grave."

"Grave didn't recognize that you weren't Mullison?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"You'd be surprised how easily men see what they want to see. A cloak, a mask, and some fine clothes, and he didn't think twice."

It was- it was Archer- Archer who- who- it was _his_ fault-

But I kept quiet, letting Celaena play her part.

"So the night at the warehouse," she went on, raising an eyebrow—an intrigued coconspirator. "Why did you really kidnap Chaol?"

"I had to get you away from Nehemia. And when I took that arrow for you, I knew you'd trust me, if only for that night. I apologize if my methods were … harsh. Trick of the trade, I'm afraid."

My blood was boiling. Archer Archer Archer Archer-

"And that threat the king received before Nehemia's death—the threat on her life," Celaena said, her lips curling upward. "You planted that threat, didn't you? To show me who my real friends are—who I can really trust."

"It was a gamble. Just as I'm gambling now. I didn't know whether or not the captain would warn you. Seems I was right."

"Why me? I'm flattered, of course, but—you're clever. Why couldn't you have figured the riddle out on your own?"

Archer bowed his head. "Because I know what you are, Celaena. Arobynn told me one night, after you went to Endovier. And for our cause to succeed, we need you. I need you. Some members of the movement are already starting to fight me, to question my leadership. They think my methods are too rough. But you … Gods, from the moment I saw you outside the Willows, I've known how good we'd be together. The things we'll accomplish …"

"I know," she said, looking into those green eyes, so bright in the matching lights of the portal. "Archer, I know."

He didn't see the dagger coming until she'd shoved it into him.

But he was fast—too fast—and turned just in time to have it pierce his shoulder instead of his heart.

He staggered back with dazzling speed, wrenching her dagger so swiftly that she lost her grip on the blade and had to brace a hand on the arch of the portal to keep from stumbling. Her hand was covered in blood, and the green mark glowed under her palm. Uh-oh. I doubted that was good.

Something was coming from the portal. I smelled it. Something bad… something otherworldly. Celaena lept for Archer with a roar and I snapped my head to find the two fighting with blades.

"I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece," She hissed, the two circling each other.

The thing in the portal sent a shudder through the floor and I let out a warning whine. It was getting closer!

A figure emerged from the mist.

 _Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad_

I whined again. I had to get Celaena out of here. The creature could have Archer, I would have preferred a more painful death for what he had done to my dear friend, but something told me that it still would be unpleasant. But Celaena was in danger. I pushed her to the stairs away from the creature, and I slowly herded her out, but-

 _Bad bad bad bad bad bad_

"Nehemia?" Celaena asked.

 _Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad_

And it was not Nehemia who stepped through the portal.

It happened so fast.

A guttural growl, a human scream, and my high pitched bark. The scent of Chaol and Dorian.

Flying at the creature to attack. Pain in my leg, and blood- my blood, Celaena's blood…

Celaena was prostrate on the floor, Archer cowering by the opposite wall, chanting strange words from the book.

The monster was tall, a sinewy thing, but definitely not human. Not with those unnaturally long fingers tipped with claws, white skin that looked like crumpled paper, a distended jaw that revealed fishlike teeth, and those eyes—milky and tinged with blue.

I put myself between the monster and Celaena, my fangs bared and hackles raised, refusing to let the demon anywhere near her. I limped from the wound but stayed where I was, protecting Celaena.

Chaol snarled at Dorian to go, before launching himself at the creature.

Dorian knelt over Celaena, awaking her. "Celaena."

The demon swiped at Chaol's shoulder and he flinched, blood dripping from his injury.

Injured, Chaol couldn't defend himself as the demon lunged for him. Celaena tried to move, but she wasn't fast enough.

But Dorian was.

Something invisible slammed into the demon, sending it flying back.

The creature crumpled but instantly got up, whirling toward her and Dorian. The prince just stood there, hand outstretched.

The milky-blue eyes were ravenous now.

Through the portal I heard the rocky earth crunching beneath more pairs of bare, pale feet. Archer's chanting grew louder.

Chaol attacked the thing again. It surged toward him just before his sword struck, swiping with those long fingers, forcing the captain to dart back.

She grabbed Dorian. "We have to close it. The portal should close on its own eventually, but—but the longer it's open, the greater the threat of more coming through before it does."

"How?"

"I- I don't know, I…" She turned to Archer. "Give me the book."

Archer's eyes widened- then turned around and fled. I barked loudly, but couldn't move.

"I'll go-" Dorian started.

"No. He's dangerous, and these tunnels are a labyrinth," she panted. Chaol and the creature circled each other, the thing slowly backing toward the portal entrance. "I can't close it without that book," she moaned. "There are more books upstairs, but I—"

"Then we flee," Dorian breathed, grabbing her by the elbow. "We flee and try to get to those books."

"Go," Chaol told them, staring down the thing in front of him. "Now."

She stumbled, tugging toward Chaol, but Dorian pulled her back.

"No," she got out.

They moved towards the stairs, but Celaena struggled.

"Fleetfoot!" She screamed. "Fleetfoot!" Everyone's gaze spun to me, too injured to run.

So did the creature's. It lunged for me and I barked loudly, but could do nothing as it picked me up and dragged me into the portal.

I thrashed furiously but I was hindered by my wound. Celaena's scream echoed through the passageways and portal.

I twisted to see Chaol leap through the portal after me.

The monster came closer to me, just as Chaol slammed into it. It snapped his sword in two and he scrambled back, still staying between me and the demon.

And then Celaena came through the portal.

She was still the female I knew, who cared for me- but it wasn't _Celaena_.

It was not Celaena who stood with an ancient sword in her grip, her ears pointed and elongated canines bared.

It was not Celaena whose face was set with feral rage.

And as the monster made its final lunge towards us- its prey-

It was not Celaena who stopped it.

I smelled it as fire slammed into the demon.

No, it was not Celaena.

It was Aelin.

Aelin roared in fury. Chaol was still crouched over me and gaped at Aelin, eyes wide. Roars far away in the mist answered, and Aelin attacked again with flames.

"Run!" She bellowed at Chaol. He picked me up and hurtled through the portal, and we landed safely on the other side.

But Aelin- Aelin was on the other side. I barked furiously for her.

Dorian lay unconscious on the ground, and both Chaol and I were injured. There was no one to save Aelin.

I kept barking and yelping. Aelin was on the other side, Aelin was fighting the creature, and I smelled more coming-

Chaol lept through the portal again and hauled Aelin out and dropped her on the pavement.

"Close it," he panted. "Close it." I went to Aelin and nuzzled her. They all thought she was Celaena now, but I knew.

"I can't," she breathed.

"They're going to keep coming through," he said.

"I'm drained; I don't have anything left to close this gate …" Aelin winced, then lifted her eyes to Dorian's. "But you do. Help me."

He stepped forward. "What must I do?"

"I need your blood. The rest I can do. At least, I hope I can." Chaol started to object, and Aelin gave him a faint, bitter smile. "Don't worry. Only a cut on the arm."

Sheathing his sword, Dorian rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and drew a dagger. Blood welled from the cut, quick and bright.

Chaol growled, "How did you learn to open a portal?"

"I found a book," she said. "I wanted to speak to Nehemia."

Silence fell—pitying, horrifying silence.

But then she added, "I—I think I accidentally changed a symbol." She pointed to the Wyrdmark she'd smeared, the one that had rearranged itself. "It went to the wrong place. But this might close the door—if we're lucky."

She dipped his fingers in his blood and drew more marks- Wyrdmarks, they were called over the green glowing ones. The portal closed.

"Let's go," Chaol ordered. He scooped me up.

Ouch. I whined in pain and gave him a warning growl.

"I think we all need a drink," Dorian said quietly. "And an explanation."

Aelin looked down to the hall where Archer had fled.

Chaol stepped forward "Don't you even think—"

Panting, she sheathed Damaris. "He's mine."

Before Chaol could grab her, she hurtled down the stairs.

They came back moments later, Aelin covered in blood- Archer's blood. We all returned to Aelin's bedroom.

A healer came- Sorscha, her name was, to take a look at everyone. Aelin demanded that I be looked at first.

Aelin held my head in her arms, and I thrashed furiously. Sorscha put something in my mouth, and Aelin's turquoise and gold eyes were the last things I saw before the drug took me over.

* * *

I might be doing another work from Fleetfoot's point of view, but at the moment, I'm not sure. Thank you for reading this fic, and I hope you liked it!

\- Ruchi D


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